Servello Wins International Film Festival Honors

By Mary Clemens

12.7.18

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Rachael Servello, MFA in Dance, won the award for best choreography/action sequence at the Hollywood Dreamz International Film Festival.

Shortly before her arrival at Washington University, Rachael Servello, MFA in Dance, completed choreography for the short film, An Act of Love, directed by Majorie Cohen, and written by Cohen and Mariana Zatz. The 20 minute short film follows a young circus performer and her relationship with a seasoned artist. As they develop their act, his dominating personality forces her to question how much of her own style she will give up for him. (IMDB)

Servello, was contacted to choreograph material for the film after the Cohen saw a clip of previous combined aerial and dance work that Servello had created via social media. Cohen submitted the film to Hollywood Dreamz International Film Festival 2018 and this fall in Las Vegas Servello’s work was chosen for Best Choreography/Action Sequence.

"Working on An Act of Love was her first time choreographing for film. “It taught me to use my choreographic faculties in a specific sense, says Servello, “Following the script, making adjustments during the shooting process, and working with the performers under certain time and lighting constraints expanded my choreographic abilities.”

Rachel Servello has brought to the MFA in Dance Program her unique artistic process and sensibilities about choreography. According to Christine Knoblauch-O’Neal, Director of the MFA program in dance, “Her movement vocabulary is always evolving, taking on interesting and current issues with a wonderful sense of taste and quality. I'm not surprised that she won this award, I'm only extremely proud of her.”

According to Servello, the MFA program is a natural progression for her career. “I'm really grateful to have been hired for this project and for the Wash U dance department to continue to push the MFA candidates in all areas."